TL1 Amarillo Sod Poodles

Sod Poodles Walk-Off on Drillers in Wednesday's Home Run Showcase

Published on August 28, 2019 under Texas League (TL1)
Amarillo Sod Poodles News Release


AMARILLO, Texas - The Sod Poodles were victorious in walk-off fashion Wednesday afternoon defeating the Drillers 9-8 in front of 5,328 at HODGETOWN. On a 1-0 count in the bottom of the ninth inning, outfielder Buddy Reed hit a solo home run over the right-field wall to mark the Sod Poodles 70th win of their inaugural season. The Sod Poodles remain in first place in the Texas League second-half South Division standings and currently hold a magic number of five, pending tonight's game between Midland and Northwest Arkansas.

The Drillers took the early 1-0 lead in the first inning of the contest. Drew Avans began with a bunt single down the third-base line to lead off the ballgame. Jeter Downs followed the base path after he was hit by a pitch to make it a quick first and second situation for starter Lake Bachar. After Avans was caught stealing third base to mark the first out of the inning, sending Downs to second, Chris Parmelee doubled to left-center field to plate the first run.

In the top of the third inning, the Drillers extended their lead, plating four runs on four hits. Avans started the inning off with a single and then stole second. Downs powered up with a two-run home run to left field while Parmelee followed with a solo home run to left field. After a Connor Wong grounded out, Cody Thomas hit the third home run of the half to give Tulsa a 5-0 advantage.

Amarillo answered back in the bottom of the third inning in big fashion scoring six runs to take a 6-5 lead. Ruddy Giron started the inning off with a double to right-center field and advanced to third base on Reed's sacrifice bunt. Bachar added a single up the middle to score Giron and help his cause. Two more singles by Tyler Benson and Hudson Potts loaded the bases for the Soddies. With the bases loaded, Edward Olivares hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field to cross Bachar while advancing the other two runners up a base. Benson scored the second run on a wild pitch before Owen Miller knocked an RBI double to left-center field. Catcher Kyle Overstreet capped off the frame with his crushed two-run home run to left-center field.

After a scoreless fourth, Tulsa tied the ballgame in the fifth inning when Thomas lined an RBI triple with a runner on to make it a 6-6 contest.

Soddies starter Bachar would exit after a strong five innings with five strikeouts and only two walks allowed. Bachar allowed six runs on eight hits picking up the no-decision in his 19th start of the season.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Drillers retook the lead courtesy of a pair of solo home runs from pitcher Parker Curry and Downs to give Tulsa an 8-6 advantage. But, in the bottom half, the Sod Poodles responded with a pair of home runs of their own in back-to-back fashion by Brad Zunica and Ruddy Giron to knot the ballgame up at 8-8.

Amarillo relievers, newcomer Sam Williams and closer David Bednar, held the Drillers scoreless in the last three innings, striking out four combined batters with just two combined hits allowed. Bednar, after a bulldog performance in the top of the ninth to strand the bases loaded, collected his second win of the season.

Outfielder Reed stepped up as the first batter of the bottom of the ninth inning and, on the second pitch he saw, he towered a solo home run just over the outstretched glove of right fielder Donovan Casey to give the Sod Poodles a 9-8 victory over the Drillers.

The Sod Poodles wrap up their four-game series against the Tulsa Drillers Thursday night at HODGETOWN with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

NOTES

Tomorrow's Preview: The Sod Poodles continue their four-game series with the Tulsa Drillers Thursday in downtown Amarillo for the final game of the set. Kyle Lloyd will get the nod with Amarillo while Edwin Uceta is slated to start for Tulsa.

Reed's Big Blast: Outfielder Buddy Reed knocked his 13th home run of the season Wednesday. It was his first since July 25th at Springfield and marked his first walk-off hit of 2019.

WALK-OFF: The Sod Poodles collected their seventh walk-off victory this season and second against Tulsa this season. The team's last came on August 12 against Midland at HODGETOWN in extra innings.

Long-Ball Parade: Amarillo and Tulsa combined for the most home runs by two teams in a game at HODGETOWN with nine total round-trippers. On Wednesday, Tulsa collected a total of five while Amarillo knocked four of their own.

Back-to-Back: Brad Zunica and Ruddy Giron became the 4th Amarillo duo to collect back-to-back home runs in a game this season. The last duo to do it was Luis Torrens and Hudson Potts on August 3 against Frisco at HODGETOWN.

Far Out: Amarillo bats combined for four home runs Wednesday to tie a team season-high in a game (3rd time overall in 2019). Last two: 5/5 vs. ARK and 8/3 vs FRI.

Bednar's Brilliance: Amarillo reliever David Bednar has now collected 13 straight scoreless outings with his stellar performance Wednesday against Tulsa. Since the start of June, he has a 1.98 ERA in 27 appearances (36.1 innings) while striking out 52 batters in that span with just five walks.

The New Guy: Southpaw Sam Williams was called upon and quickly made his Double-A debut. In his outing, he tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with two strikeouts to maintain a tied matchup. Williams was signed by San Diego as a non-drafted free agent on June 12. The Canton, Ohio native went to Northern Kentucky.

Stars of the Soddies: The Texas League revealed Wednesday its 2019 Postseason All-Star team, featuring a league's second-highest four (4) Amarillo Sod Poodles players. The postseason selections highlight the league's best throughout the 2019 season at each position. Sod Poodles players selected to the Postseason All-Star team are: Catcher Luis Torrens, Infielder Ivan Castillo, Outfielder Edward Olivares, and Right-Handed Pitcher Lake Bachar.

Pitchers Who Rake: Starter Lake Bachar helped his cause with a hit and RBI in game three against Tulsa, marking his second consecutive at-bat where he collected a hit and RBI. On Tuesday, reliever Blake Rogers slugged his second hit this season in big fashion with a two-out, two-RBI double in game two against Tulsa. It marked his first career extra-base hit and the ninth hit overall by a Sod Poodles pitcher this season.

Day Games Are Good: The Sod Poodles improved to an 11-8 record in day games overall in 2019 with Wednesday's walk-off win. In the Soddies' first morning contest this season, on May 22, Amarillo won 7-6 over Corpus Christi.

Hitting Stats: The Sod Poodles currently rank 2nd in Double-A baseball with a .260 team batting average. Amarillo sits third in all of Double-A with 620 runs scored total.

Out-hit W: The Sod Poodles collected their 11th victory in a game this season when they were outhit. On Wednesday, they were outhit 13-11 by Tulsa. Amarillo is now 11-45 in the category.

Drillers Recap: The Sod Poodles welcome the Tulsa Drillers to HODGETOWN for the second time this season for a four-game series. Amarillo holds a record of 5-8 against the Drillers. At home, the Sod Poodles are now 3-3 against Tulsa with two walk-off wins on June 16 and August 28. The Sod Poodles did not fare too well in Tulsa as they went 2-5 at ONEOK Field. Eight of the 13 matchups against the Soddies and Drillers have been decided by two or fewer runs this season.

Magic Number: The Sod Poodles magic number to clinch the second-half South Division following Wednesday's game is five games, pending Midland's performance tonight.

Big 6: Amarillo's big six-run frame in the third inning came one short of tying a season-high for runs scored in an inning. The Sod Poodles plated seven in an inning two times this season. The first time the Sod Poodles accomplished the feat was on April 11 vs. Corpus Christi with the second time coming on August 22 in Tulsa.

Playoff Picture: The Sod Poodles head into their first-ever Texas League Postseason in their inaugural season beginning Wednesday, September 4 at HODGETOWN in the South Division Championship Series. Amarillo will host the first two games on Wednesday, September 4 and Thursday, September 5. An opponent is yet to be determined but Midland currently leads the race with the second-best overall record in the South.

#70: The Sod Poodles' notched their 70th victory of the regular season, which guarantees a winning overall record in the club's inaugural campaign.

53 Inaugural Players: In the Sod Poodles inaugural season so far, Amarillo has welcomed 53 different players - 21 players and 32 pitchers. On Wednesday, Sam Williams marked the 32nd pitcher to appear and 53rd player overall on the Amarillo all-time list.

Multi-Hit Kyle: Kyle Overstreet collected his second-consecutive multi-hit performance on Tuesday night. Over the last two nights, he has gone 5-for-9 with 2 RBI.

MacKKKKKenzie: Southpaw and Padres top pitching prospect was untouchable in his first start for Amarillo since August 2. He tossed a shortened start of one and two-thirds innings and struck out five of his six batters faced.

A Couple Trios: Tyler Benson collected his first-career three-hit game at Double-A in just his eighth overall appearance at the level with Amarillo. It marked his sixth-career three-hit game and first since July 22 with Fort Wayne. Kyle Overstreet also collected a three-hit night, marking his 22nd overall in his career.

27 Combined: The combined 27 hits between Amarillo and Tulsa on Tuesday night came one short of the most combined by two teams at HODGETOWN during their inaugural campaign. On May 13, the Sod Poodles and RockHounds combined for 28 hits.

Down The Stretch, We Come: Five games remain in the 2019 inaugural regular season for the Sod Poodles before the Texas League postseason begins.

Scholtens First Seven: In his 19th start with Amarillo, Jesse Scholtens began by recording his first seven outs of the contest all via a strikeout. Overall, he finished with nine total strikeouts, just two short of his career-high 11, over five innings with 10 hits and five runs allowed without a walk surrendered.

Largest Deficit: Monday night's game set the largest deficit the Sod Poodles have faced against Tulsa this season (seven runs). The previous largest was only two runs which came on June 23 at ONEOK Field.

Deep Into Monday: Monday night's contest marked the longest game at HODGETOWN to date. The game one of the series with Tulsa lasted 3:35. The previous longest was 3:30 set on July 22 against Northwest Arkansas.

Men Left Behind: The Sod Poodles left a second-highest 13 runners left on base Monday night. The most left on base for Amarillo in 2019 is 14 marked on May 3 versus Springfield.

Road Show Over: The Sod Poodles played their final road game of the 2019 regular season on Sunday, capping it off with a win at Arkansas. Amarillo is guaranteed at least one more road trip in the Texas League Division Series.

36 so far: HODGETOWN saw it's 36th sellout of the 2019 season in their 60th home game.

Check out the Amarillo Sod Poodles Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Texas League Stories from August 28, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central